New Delhi: The Centre has cancelled the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) licence of the Centre for Policy Research (CPR). The development comes after the income tax department conducted surveys on the CPRs premises in 2022, according to media reports.
Notably, FCRA licence of the Centre for Policy Research was suspended last year after prima facie inputs regarding violation of funding norms. CPR had said then that it had done nothing wrong.
Earlier, the Income Tax department had in September 2022 conducted a survey operation against CPR, and two other organisations Oxfam India and a Bengaluru-based Independent and Public-Spirited Media Foundation (IPSMF) as part of a probe to look into their foreign funding.
Oxfam Indias foreign funding is also blocked in India as MHA, in December 2021, refused to renew its FCRA licence. At the same time, the Central Bureau of Investigation is also investigating Oxfam India.
The CPR had allegedly received funding from several foreign organisations, including the Ford Foundation. Allegations were also leveled against the think tank that it had given donations to Teesta Setalvad's NGO. However, the Home Minister suspended the FCRA license of Teesta's NGO Sabrang Trust in 2016 itself.